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August 29, 2003/Elul 1 5763, Vol. 55, No. 53
Working together
Local synagogues hold collaborative open house
LEISAH NAMM
Managing Editor
Steve Weitzenkorn, Temple Kol Ami president, mans the synagogue's booth at the community's first Synagogue Fair with membership committee member Karyl Partridge.
Photo by Leisah Namm
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Synagogues from across the Valley set up shop in the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center on Sunday, Aug. 17, at the community's first-ever Synagogue Fair.
Eighteen synagogues participated, says Harriet Colan, administrative assistant for VOSJCC President Mark Shore. There are currently 31 synagogues across metropolitan Phoenix.
Synagogue participation cut across denomination lines, with everything from Reform, Conservative and Orthodox to Humanistic, Jewish Renewal and Sephardic.
Synagogue leaders and members from Chandler and Sun Lakes to Fountain Hills and Sun City welcomed community members interested in learning more about their congregations. Booths were stocked with brochures and holiday service schedules for curious visitors.
"It's wonderful to be here and to be part of this wonderful energy that exists in the Greater Phoenix area," says Shirley Gersten of the Sun Lakes Jewish Congregation.
The Synagogue Fair was held during the JCC's open house, which featured a sampling of the center's fall programming. The combination of both events drew about 800 people, Colan estimates. The JCC added 15 new members to its roster that day.
The fair was a joint project of VOSJCC and The Synagogue Leader's Council and represented a joint effort to reach unaffiliated Jews in the community.
The idea for this partnership stemmed from the release of the 2002 Greater Phoenix Jewish Community Study directed by the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, said Temple Kol Ami President Steve Weitzenkorn, a founder of The Synagogue Leaders' Council. Study results stated that 62 percent of respondents have no affiliation with the organized Jewish community, although 91 percent surveyed reported that being Jewish was somewhat or very important to them.
Leaders of the Synagogue Fair were pleased both with the number of participating synagogues and involvement of community members.
"It was better than we could have anticipated," says Katie Fox, VOSJCC membership director. "It was great the community came out to support it."
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